Administrator

As it was brought up in the V2 thread, I just wanted to clarify our position on adverts on 1FF.

The forum pages will remain completely ad free to all logged in users, irrespective of of usergroup.

Minimal, non-intrusive ads are being tested on the following pages only; 'The Hub' , 'Shoutbox' , 'Quiz' 'Media' , 'Blogs' & '1FF Prediction'.Note: We're in the process of coding a conditional statement to NOT show these ads to site supporters as a thank you for supporting the site - effectively keeping the site completely ad free for this usergroup. This should be implemented within a day or two.

We'll be keeping a close eye on signups and traffic to make sure these changes don't adversely affect growth- if they do, we'll revert back. We'll also be making it clear to guests that logged in users will not be greeted with any advertising on the core forum pages, both now and in the future. We're tweaking placement over the next day or so, so please bear with us.

tl;dr - Entire site will remain completely ad free to site supporters.
- All core forum pages will remain completely ad free to ALL usergroups.

Site Supporter

Out of interest, why should logged in users not see adverts? As long as the forum doesn't head down the route taken by many regional newspapers which thrust videos, music, and huge pop-ups, etc, then I'm not averse to seeing unobtrusive ads. People should be realistic and recognise that websites cannot run on zero income. Advertising is one of the few ways to keep it running.

Administrator

Out of interest, why should logged in users not see adverts? As long as the forum doesn't head down the route taken by many regional newspapers which thrust videos, music, and huge pop-ups, etc, then I'm not averse to seeing unobtrusive ads. People should be realistic and recognise that websites cannot run on zero income. Advertising is one of the few ways to keep it running.

We think what sets 1FF apart from the majority of sites (and the reason we've done so well since January) is that the site usability is kept at its highest without ads - and the member base appreciates that. I, personally, wouldn't frequent a website that persistently thrusted adverts in my face (athough I appreciate many websites do!) Usability for a forum is important and we wouldn't compromise that.

The core forum pages are what are always going to be the most popular and used most frequently so keeping these ad free sets us apart from the rest. The additional (newly added pages) give us an opportunity to cover increasing costs on the sections of the site that members may visit infrequently.

Keeping the site completely ad free to site supporters just seems right considering they've already been generous enough to support the site. Fortunately the forum software is advanced enough for us to vary what is seen on the site dependent on usergroup.

Furthermore, we're not looking to turn huge profits on the site as this was not our intentions when TFF closed. I've always said I'd back the site financially and plug any gaps. We do have to be realistic though - a server upgrade to a dedicated setup will be required before the new season due to the new features we've added to the site (server load heavy) and the sheer traffic that we're now receiving.

Ian

We think what sets 1FF apart from the majority of sites (and the reason we've done so well since January) is that the site usability is kept at its highest without ads - and the member base appreciates that. I, personally, wouldn't frequent a website that persistently thrusted adverts in my face (athough I appreciate many websites do!) Usability for a forum is important and we wouldn't compromise that.

The core forum pages are what are always going to be the most popular and used most frequently so keeping these ad free sets us apart from the rest. The additional (newly added pages) give us an opportunity to cover increasing costs on the sections of the site that members may visit infrequently.

Keeping the site completely ad free to site supporters just seems right considering they've already been generous enough to support the site. Fortunately the forum software is advanced enough for us to vary what is seen on the site dependent on usergroup.

Furthermore, we're not looking to turn huge profits on the site as this was not our intentions when TFF closed. I've always said I'd back the site financially and plug any gaps. We do have to be realistic though - a server upgrade to a dedicated setup will be required before the new season due to the new features we've added to the site (server load heavy) and the sheer traffic that we're now receiving.

I'd happily put up with more ads however all singing and dancing they are. A few months ago I did sign up to a betting site to help get this site a bit more money but I won't be doing that again (or donating to become a member) as I'm unsure where the money is really going.

Administrator

In fairness with TB and his genius skills, we will probably be able to make it so that people who don't want to see adverts, won't have to see them and build some sort of compromise within there. It's virtually almost self sufficient anyway, so the theory was that we'd be able nudge over the finishing line with a couple of ads on pages that AREN'T the forum itself and are hidden away from the main impression of the site. If people are massively against that, then it's something we will discuss to work out the best deal for.

Aslong as people are happy that's all that matters. Both myself and TB agreed that ads on the actual forum page and anywhere inside the forum itself aren't and will never happen.

Just for some feedback also - are there any particular ads people dont like? Where they DON'T want them at all? Etc.

I'd happily put up with more ads however all singing and dancing they are. A few months ago I did sign up to a betting site to help get this site a bit more money but I won't be doing that again (or donating to become a member) as I'm unsure where the money is really going.

Server costs for this many users won't come cheap, and this includes 'hits' on the forum, not just the posts. I looked into this for a forum I run a few years back. Although basic in layout, the sheer number of viewers meant that I just couldn't afford to go independent and I just paid for a domain name. I went with free software, free server space and the posts only last on there for 2-3 weeks before they're auto deleted.

Administrator

The main expenditures of the site were posted in a thread a couple of months back, all tallied up in a thread. I'll see if I can find it and link it in somewhere. As mentioned above the site is almost self sufficient, with a couple of extra ad placements on the quiet sections of the website, we should be absolutely fine. Of course site supporters are great, but that's entirely down to the individual themselves, if people want to they can, if not, it's totally fine.

We've digressed off topic rather rapidly anyway - this is about us introducing a couple of ads on quieter sections of 1FF and who can/can't see them - where they are placed etc. Can we keep things strictly down that line please so that TB can focus on requests rather than general chat.

Server costs for this many users won't come cheap, and this includes 'hits' on the forum, not just the posts. I looked into this for a forum I run a few years back. Although basic in layout, the sheer number of viewers meant that I just couldn't afford to go independent and I just paid for a domain name. I went with free software, free server space and the posts only last on there for 2-3 weeks before they're auto deleted.

We've literally just fixed them to display at all- they won't be staying that size, they are just responsive to the width of the page as default. Like many of the changes, expect adjustments over the next day or so after implementation.

I'm not sure tbh, it was weird. It popped up saying this site is blocked due to Company Policy and the reason given was "Gambling" but then there was a button for "skip to site" so I don't believe it's the whole site. Seems to be working now anyway. I'll let you know if it happens again.